I wasn't sure what to expect from diving in the Almeria region of southern Spain, but after a week of sweltering in the sun I felt I had earned a cheeky dive. Eager to sneak in a few dives, I got talking to Jim the owner of Indalo Divers, who said that I would be driven to a small leisure harbour in nearby Villaricos. There was heavy wind and I knew the seas would be choppy and the visibility would be limited, but needs must when the devil dives!
This part of Spain is popular with tourists, but it doesn't attract many divers. Even so, I was keen to see if I could enjoy a few dives around a family holiday. The coast around Almeria includes the Cabo de Gato national park, which features some spectacular underwater scenery. Outside the nature reserve, the scenery is less dramatic,
but there is enough to keep most divers interested. Most of the resorts offer diving to suit all levels of experience. There are few wrecks and none in shallow water, so all the diving is scenic.
When the boat arrived at the La Loza dive site a marker buoy was swiftly deployed. Even in that short time, I began to feel seasick, so I was glad to get out of the swell and into the water. All thoughts of family duties were forgotten as we descended onto the top of a pinnacle at 8m. The water was a comfortable 19ºC. Our group of three dropped down the wall towards the sand at 30m.
A number of friends had joked with me about this part of the Mediterranean, saying it was devoid of life, especially fish life. However, I was immediately impressed with the diversity of life on the reef. We had hardly begun our descent when we found an octopus hiding in a crevice and a co-operative moray eel lurking in the open. Many colourful fish crowded around the reef, considerably more than I had expected.
At the deepest point of the dive, the rock overhangs created small caves and, hanging upside down was a handful of crayfish, which allowed the invaders from above to examine them. All too soon it was time to surface. As we wove our way up through narrow canyons in the rock to the top of the reef, we added a slipper lobster and a conger eel to our tally of species spotted. A pleasing end to a fine day, and a lot more than I had dared to hope for on an experimental dive. I returned to the bosom of my family with a big smile on my face.
CONTACTS
Indalo Divers
00 34 610 800 921
www.indalodivers.com
Villaricosub
00 34 670 425 624
www.villaricosub.indalcomercio.es
Buceo Carboneras
00 34 619 214 427
www.buceocarboneras.com
